Karim broke his collarbone Sunday against the Broncos. The Texans will trot out Jonathan Grimes as the starter at running back in the Week 17 finale against the Titans. Ray Graham has been signed to handle backup duties. Tue, Dec 24, 2013 02:59:00 PM

Texans RB Deji Karim suffered a broken collarbone in Houston's Week 16 loss to the Broncos, and is done for the season.

Karim suffered the injury after filling in for an injured Dennis Johnson (hip). It leaves Jonathan Grimes as the Texans' Week 17 starter. A 2010 sixth-round pick, Karim heads into the offseason with just 110 career carries for 341 yards (3.1 YPC). He'll be far from a guarantee to crack someone's 53-man roster next summer. Mon, Dec 23, 2013 04:47:00 PM

Deji Karim rushed eight times for 30 yards and lost one yard on his lone reception in Houston's Week 16 loss to the Broncos.

Dennis Johnson got the start, but Karim was the primary back throughout the second half. Karim has been in the NFL since 2010 and done very little to suggest he's worth a big-league roster spot. Look for a Johnson-Karim committee backfield when Houston takes on Tennessee in the regular season finale. Sun, Dec 22, 2013 04:44:00 PM

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Karim broke his collarbone Sunday against the Broncos. The Texans will trot out Jonathan Grimes as the starter at running back in the Week 17 finale against the Titans. Ray Graham has been signed to handle backup duties.

Texans RB Deji Karim suffered a broken collarbone in Houston's Week 16 loss to the Broncos, and is done for the season.

Karim suffered the injury after filling in for an injured Dennis Johnson (hip). It leaves Jonathan Grimes as the Texans' Week 17 starter. A 2010 sixth-round pick, Karim heads into the offseason with just 110 career carries for 341 yards (3.1 YPC). He'll be far from a guarantee to crack someone's 53-man roster next summer.

Deji Karim rushed eight times for 30 yards and lost one yard on his lone reception in Houston's Week 16 loss to the Broncos.

Dennis Johnson got the start, but Karim was the primary back throughout the second half. Karim has been in the NFL since 2010 and done very little to suggest he's worth a big-league roster spot. Look for a Johnson-Karim committee backfield when Houston takes on Tennessee in the regular season finale.

The Texans will turn to Deji Karim as their No. 3 back in the absence of Arian Foster (back, hamstring).

Ben Tate will be the starter, and rookie Dennis Johnson will be the change-of-pace back. Karim is worth owning only in 16- to 20-team leagues in "hopes" of an extended Foster absence and another injury in Houston's backfield.

Karim, 27 next month, spent the summer with the Texans and rushed for 75 yards on 15 preseason carries. Houston is on its bye week and is dealing with injuries to Arian Foster (hamstring) and Ben Tate (broken ribs). The Texans are expected to add at least one more running back, in addition to Karim.

Despite rushing for 75 yards on 15 preseason carries and having 26 games of regular-season experience, Karim loses out to UDFA Cierre Wood. Wood becomes a name for deep Dynasty leaguers to stash away as Ben Tate is entering a contract year and Arian Foster has a ton of tread on his tires.

The Texans' official website says it "looks like" Deji Karim is in the lead for No. 3 running back duties.

Karim, entering his fourth season, is competing with undrafted rookies Cierre Wood, Dennis Johnson, and Ray Graham for the role, and he's rushed for 92 yards on 15 carries through two preseason games. Karim will be the second back in the game behind Ben Tate in Sunday's regular season dress rehearsal against the Saints. Karim also has special teams experience.

Coach Gary Kubiak said RB Deji Karim will get an extended look in Saturday's preseason game.

Karim is in the mix with Cierre Wood, Dennis Johnson and Ray Graham for the No. 3 running back job. "I'll just say that (No.) 39 is really practicing well," said Kubiak. Karim has always looked good getting off the bus, but he was out of the league last year after averaging a pitiful 2.06 YPC for the Jags in 2011.

The signing comes after Karim participated in Houston's rookie camp on a tryout basis. Karim wasn't tendered a contract by the Colts after failing to notch a carry last season. The former Jaguar has managed only 290 yards on 98 career totes (3.0 YPC). He's a mere insurance policy for the Texans' well-stocked backfield.

Karim wasn't tendered an offer as a restricted free agent by the Colts. He has an uphill battle to claim a roster spot in Houston, as he's competing with top undrafted rookie running backs Cierre Wood, Dennis Johnson, George Winn, and Ray Graham. Karim has averaged 3.0 YPC on 98 career totes.

It's not a good sign for the Week 15 availability of Delone Carter, sidelined by ankle injury. With Donald Brown going on injured reserve, Moore will likely back up starter Vick Ballard while Karim fills the emergency back role.

The Eagles also put in a claim on Karim. The 180th overall pick in the 2010 draft, Karim runs well in a straight line but showed poor instincts in Jacksonville and lacks tackle-breaking ability. The 25-year-old currently holds a career yards-per-carry average of 2.96.

Karim boasts impressive measurables, but he fell out of favor down the stretch last season after averaging just 2.1 yards on 63 carries as Maurice Jones-Drew's backup. He could draw interest as a kickoff-return candidate.

Depth Charts

Lovelocke (6'5/248) was a four-year starter for the PVAMU Panthers, completing 57.6 percent of his senior-year passes with a 16:9 TD-to-INT ratio and ten additional rushing scores. A massive quarterback with 10 1/2-inch hands and 34 1/4-inch arms, Lovelocke has ideal tight end dimensions and could get a look there after running 4.81/4.84 at his Pro Day with a 31-inch vertical and 9-foot-5 broad jump. Lovelocke isn't going to make it as a quarterback.

The Chiefs used a 2012 sixth-round pick on Gray. He appeared in 35 games the past three seasons, mainly on special teams. He's rushed for 99 career yards and one touchdown on 24 carries as the No. 3 back. Gray suffered a torn ACL in November and is now healthy enough where the Chiefs could cut him.

Copeland (5-foot-11 1/8, 271) went to LSU as a four-star defensive tackle, but converted to fullback as a true freshman and became a 22-game starter. What Copeland lacks in versatility -- he's no more than a short-yardage runner and caught seven career passes at LSU -- he makes up for with aggressive, relentless lead blocking. An extremely physical player, Copeland consistently removed linebackers from plays to clear alleys for Jeremy Hill. Dallas isn't a great landing spot for Copeland, however, due to OC Scott Linehan's pass-happy leanings.

Cardinals undrafted WR Damond Powell was shot on Friday, but did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

The incident happened in Powell's hometown of Toledo, Ohio. According to FOX10TV.com, Powell was sitting in his driveway with friends when he was shot in the face. Standing in at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Powell is a slot prospect out of Iowa. It's unclear if he'll be ready for training camp this week.